Even before the launch of their new scent, Serotonin Spritz, L’Epoque has been a niche perfume brand I have been seeing a lot on social media. So, when I saw that they were doing a special deal where you could get a sample of Serotonin Spritz in addition to their regular sample set, I decided to get it! Isn’t the packaging amazing?

As someone that wants to build out a thoughtful, diverse perfume collection, I’m a fan of brands that do 30mL sizes (I don’t need a bunch of 100mL bottles, it takes forever to get through one) which is one of the reasons why I was drawn to trying L’Epoque. I also loved the brand’s intent to create perfume that marks a moment in time instead of trying to create one signature scent that you stick with forever. As someone that tends to move through hyperfixations pretty quickly and is always looking to discover new scents, I think exploring this brand made perfect sense to me. 

Even though each sample was a 1mL dabber, I felt that they were very easy to use. Did I mention the packaging was amazing? The branding gets an A+ from me. 

Here are my honest reviews of the five scents in the sample set!

Delusions of Grandeur

Top Notes: Apricot, Tobacco, Rum

Middle Notes: Jasmine Sambac, Leather Saffron

Bottom Notes: Amber, Sandalwood, Musk

It’s 10 pm. You’re dressed in a fancy, all-black outfit, complete with the nice watch you bought with your own money. You’re headed to the bar for a drink. Not drinks plural. Just one drink. One drink that you’ll savor as you enjoy the ambience of the darkly-lit jazz bar and partake in casual conversations with the people around you. You’re someone who’s there to be seen, and enjoys the fact that they’re being seen.

Delusions of Grandeur, the first scent that was created for L’Epoque, starts off as a boozy apricot fragrance. You definitely smell the sweetness from the apricot note, but that fades pretty quickly, and the rum and tobacco notes come on very strong. It feels very mature, and feels like the perfect fragrance for date night. As the fragrance dries down, it morphs into a nice amber/saffron scent, and reminds me a lot of Crystal Saffron from Matiere Premiere.

I’m not going to lie, this is not a scent profile that I typically gravitate towards, but there is something about this scent that is so alluring and sophisticated. I couldn’t stop smelling my arm. If you’re into fragrances with a heavy boozy note, I would give this one a try.

Serotonin Spritz

Top Notes: Grapefruit, Pink Pepper, Pomelo Zest

Middle Notes: Tequila Accord, Thyme, Geranium, Cassis Leaf

Base Notes: Watery Musk, Cedarwood, Amber

You’re group is heading back to the hotel after lunch, but you’re not tired yet. You want to head out to a spot that overlooks the Mediterranean sea and enjoy a nice Aperol Spritz under the blazing sun. You find a nice rooftop bar with views of the ocean and the city. You’re lounging. There’s nowhere you have to be.

When I first saw the notes, seeing the combination of grapefruit and pink pepper at the top made me a little bit nervous to try this scent because I feel like both notes can sometimes feel a little bit too sharp to my nose. Thankfully, Serotonin Spritz wasn’t like that at all. 

It’s a relaxing boozy scent that feels like vacation in a bottle. When the weather is hot, the last thing you want to do is wear something heavy and cloying that you have to sit in for hours on end, so something like Serotonin Spritz is an easy reach. 

At first, you get hit with a bit of sweetness from the grapefruit with the light booziness of that tequila accord that I think is the beautiful center of this fragrance. As it dries down, you get hit with some greenness (which I’m assuming is from the cassis leaf and the thyme), giving it a fresh and summery feel. This fragrance reminds me of a slightly stronger, zestier version Never Ending Summer by Maison Margiela. It’s a very easy reach, and (in my opinion) a fairly safe blind buy if you tend to like this profile of fragrance. 

Dopamine Rose

Top Notes: Raspberry Marshmallow, Strawberry, Rhubarb

Middle Notes: Rose, Cyclamen Flowers, Ozonic Notes

Bottom Notes: Cashmere, Musk

Sweet desserts, picnic baskets, and light conversations at noon on Saturday.

Before I smelled this scent, I expected this to be a gourmand rose scent because of the strawberry and raspberry marshmallow notes. On my skin, this was a sweet marshmallow-y scent that became a little bit more rose-dominant on the dry down. There’s a hint of strawberry, but not enough for it to be considered a main note.

Normally, I don’t talk about femininity/masculinity when it comes to scents because I don’t think it matters, but this scent does lean very feminine. I don’t hate this scent, but I don’t particularly love it either. It’s not something I would go out of to wear again. 

Inner Child

Top Notes: Linen, Bergamot

Middle Notes: Freesia, Vanilla, Lily of the Valley

Base Notes: White Wood, Birch Wood, Skin Musk

I heard this fragrance mentioned a lot as a great “clean” scent on TikTok, which made sense looking at the notes. However, when I smelled the sample, it smelled like a slightly citrus-y baby powder, which is not a scent profile that I really enjoy. I don’t mind powdery fragrances, but I immediately got baby powder and I just don’t ever see myself wearing that kind of scent profile ever. 

I did test it on my skin, and while it wasn’t as powdery on skin, it still smelled strongly of synthetic baby wipes as it dried down, and felt very chemical. Unfortunately, I had to wipe it off immediately. 

However, I do want to say that it’s clearly a well-made fragrance that evokes exactly what it was meant to evoke, so I don’t want people to conflate me not liking a fragrance for me saying it was poorly made. I can acknowledge when a fragrance isn’t for me but is still well made. 

Dreams and Nightmares

Top Notes: Pink Pepper, Cardamom, Eucalyptus, Bergamot

Middle Notes: Patchouli, Petrichor, Wet Earth

Base Notes: Moss, Amber Woods

You’ve been hiking on a trail for 30 minutes. You no longer see where you first started, and it’s too late to turn back. In this moment, it’s just you and nature. No one else. You look up to the sky and see trees towering above you. There’s no humidity. Only a cool breeze that snuggles up to your skin at the perfect times. It’s a leisurely hike, not a race. 

At first glance, this was the scent that I was the most nervous to try. I love the smell of petrichor-inspired fragrances, but I don’t necessarily love them on me. However, this one surprised me a bit. 

Dreams and Nightmares starts out with a lot of eucalyptus and a tiny bit of that wet earth smell, and continues to stay eucalyptus forward as it dried down. It didn’t feel as earthy as I thought it would. It was a very crisp, green scent. I feel like if it smelled as fresh on my skin as it did when I just smelled the sample, I would like it more, but it unfortunately does not, so I don’t think it would be something that I would necessarily reach for often. 

My Final Ranking: 

-Serotonin Spritz 

-Delusions of Grandeur 

-Dreams and Nightmares

-Dopamine Rose

-Inner Child

Overall, I thought this was a very solid discovery set. I can tell that each scent was made very well and that they evoke exactly what the perfumers wanted to evoke. Even the scents I didn’t like I felt like were formulated well. I thoroughly enjoyed trying these scents out!